Featured This is what you can accomplish with a little research,knowledge and hard work!

This was my Mom's antique rocking chair. Legend was it has been in my family for generations. That was ll i knew about it. My Mom passed away several years ago. This chair found it's way into my Brothers shed. It sat there for several years. By the looks of it mold and Mice did a number on it. I knew it needed to be saved but did not have the know how to do so. I priced it out to several experts and found the price to restore this relic to be way to steep. My quest started there. I did all the research I could on this chair. I found out it was manufactured by The Brumby Chair Company sometime between 1876 and 1891. It had been in my family that long! It deserved to be restored by some one in my Family! Apparently I was that guy but did not have the knowledge or expertise to do so. I consulted these pages for advise and got tons of it! I followed up with the Brumby Chair company to find out whet the stock chair would have looked like. Luckily there was a fantastic youtube video of chair caining I was able to follow that gave me the confidence to try it. A flat reed herringbone weave with 5/8 reed was what the chair called for. I was amazed I was able to pull this off! I plan on giving this revived chair to my Daughter for the birth of her first child in January. The family heirloom will be passed on to the next Generation. I feel proud to have had such a large part in its revival! I present to you before and after pictures! I am still amazed what I was able to accomplish! Knowledge is power !

 

Very nice!
Good work!

 

I remember your post about this chair. You should be very proud of yourself, the chair looks fantastic What a wonderful item to pass on to another generation, I bet your daughter will be delighted!

 

Well done ! Its wonderful.

 

Drkstr, this chair undoubtedly had a wonderful story of its own before it came into your hands, and now you've just added another delightful chapter. Well done!

 

A beautiful job. Thanks for showing us the "after" photo. Very nice.

 

It looks great! Don't you love how people take the time to make YouTube videos with practical help? I learned how to re-cane a chair from YouTube and like how it came out too (though doing that once may be enough.)

 

WOW! You did a great job on the chair and now it will go on to future generations.

I restored a victorian beadwork Prayer chair a few years ago, There are photos in the forum somewhere.
Mine too was in a bad state but I made it beautiful again, It gives you such a sense of satisfaction doesn't it, Mine wasn't a family piece but its much loved.

 

Here is the link to mine if you would like to see it -
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/my-favourite-chair.10924/

 

Good job !!! and thanks for sharing

 

Excellent!

 

I mentioned in your thread in the Furniture forum what a great job you did, but will also say it here. It's nice to have the "Before" and "After" pics so close together. It looks fabulous!

 

drkstr22
Very Nice! You did a great job.

Guess what?
You now have a new skill that you can sell. There are a lot of people who have chairs that need caning and not many who can do it.

 

Its very expensive to have done too.

I have been asked so many times to refurb furniture, repair victorian beadwork ect ect but the trouble is it then turns a hobby in to a job and I don't want or need a job. I have done little things though just for the price of the materials I used.

 

Thanks for sharing your AWESOME and WONDERFUL restoration of the chair that I'm sure your Daughter will be most proud and happy to receive!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!

 

Wow! Amazing job! I doubt I could pull off what you did! I really enjoyed the research and the actual work I got to do on this piece. The family history gave it that actual cool factor. I failed to mention that I did something similar. I wrote my daughter a long letter and put in in an envelpoe and a manilla envelope and put it into the back of the chair. At some point in her life She will have to have the chair recained. When she does she will find my letter to her.

 

Its Funny you mention that. I have had a wrench in my hand since I was 5 years old. Mechanical work restoring old cars and motorcycles is my Original hobby and passion. I worked as a mechanic for a bunch of years but gave it up when it became a job. Even though I made some good money doing it. It became a job and I didnt enjoy it anymore.

 

Damn! You just HAD to make an old man weep, huh?

I love it...............

 

I included a bunch of pictures in the envelope. Including a picture of me sitting in this chair holding Her the day She came home from the hospital.